India and UK scrap flight ceilings

NEW DELHI India and the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ease restrictions on the number of scheduled flights between the two countries, following successful talks in India this week.

Government of India’s Press Information Bureau confirmed limits on flights from key Indian cities including Chennai and Kolkata have been scrapped.

The statement said it would allow “for a greater range of flights for passengers, while providing a boost to trade and tourism for the UK and India”.

The agreement also opened all destinations in the UK for Indian carriers entering into codeshare flight agreements with their UK partner airlines.

Reciprocally, UK carriers can also operate codeshare flights to any international Airport in India, through arrangements with Indian counterparts

The agreement was formally signed by India’s Minister of Civil Aviation during meetings with a UK trade mission to India that was also attending the 2017 CAPA India Aviation Summit.

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, said: “The increase in flights between the UK and India is encouraging news for our businesses and tourists. We already enjoy strong ties with the UK … I am sure that this agreement will bring direct and indirect benefits to many sectors of the economies of our two countries.”

Tourism from India makes an important contribution to the UK economy. In 2015, there were 422,000 visits from India to the UK, bringing more than UKP433 million to the economy.

The UK government is keen to develop stronger ties with member nations of the Commonwealth to offset the impact of Brexit.

Read more...